Richard Grayson (New Earth)
Uncertain what to do, he turned to someone he knew would understand: Superman. Very briefly, Dick had considered giving up the whole crime fighting gig, but he couldn't imagine his life any other way; but if he couldn't be Robin, who would he be? Superman had the answer. Long ago on Krypton, a man was cast out by his family - just as Dick had been. He dreamed of a world ruled by justice, and set out to protect the helpless of Krypton. His true identity was never revealed. He was known only as Nightwing. The Post-Crisis version of Grayson had him become the first and only Nightwing, with his costume partially inspired by his father, who at one time wore a circus costume that was a variant of colleague Boston Brand's Deadman costume. When all his teammates were captured by Deathstroke the Terminator, and delivered to the HIVE, Dick assumed a new identity of Nightwing and helped to free them, with the help of new ally (and future Titan), Jericho. Nightwing had finally moved out of the shadow of the Bat, and would lead the Titans through some hard times. Dick endured brainwashing at the hands of Brother Blood, his relationship with Starfire would suffer due to her marriage of state, he would be deeply affected by the fact that Batman trained a new Robin (Jason Todd) only for him to be seemingly killed at the hands of the Joker. Shortly after this, during Batman: Year Three, Dick learned that Tony Zucco, the man who killed his parents, had not acutally died but rather passed into a coma. As revealed in Robin: Year One, Batman feared Dick would want the gangster dead, so he "protected" the boy by telling him that Zucco was dead. After spending nearly seven years in prison with good behavior, Zucco applied for parole, in exchange for becoming a state informant of mob activity. His real intentions, however, were to retrieve a ledger containing his secrets. Just as Dick arrived to see him step out of the prison, he was gunned down by an enemy mobster from a helicopter. Despite catching the assassin and getting some closer to his parents' deaths, Dick was upset with Bruce for lying to him and keeping him away, to which Bruce explained that was not his intent. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Bruce and Dick would remain at odds with each other, never fully sorting out their strained relationship. While serving with the New Titans, Dick was searched out by an older Tim Drake, who had only one goal on his mind, for Dick to return to Robin. It was Dick's refusal to return that Tim started down the road toward becoming the new Robin. After weeks of persuading and proving his potential, Dick then returned to the Batman to plead Tim's case, with help from Alfred. Due to their arguments and the realization that the Batman needs a Robin, Tim Drake becomes the third Boy Wonder. Soon after, various members of the Titans were abducted by the Wildebeest Society. This event shook up the team in a big way. The group entered into tumultuous times, where members came and went, longtime friends were maimed or destroyed, although Dick persevered through it all, and remained the heart and center of the team. But his relationship with Starfire became strained, and problems in Gotham demanded Dick's attention. Impulsively, Dick proposed marriage to Starfire. The two almost wed, but the ceremony was interrupted by Raven, now reborn as an evil avatar of her father, Trigon. Her brutal attack on Starfire triggered changes in Dick and Kory's relationship. Starfire was implanted with a demon "seed" which causes her to leave Earth and go on a spiritual journey. The two grew apart, and Starfire eventually returned to her home planet of Tamaran. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Bruce Wayne had left the mantle of Batman to the unstable Jean Paul Valley. Dick intervened with new Robin Tim Drake, and when Bruce returned to Gotham, he brought Valley down and re-assumed the mantle of Batman. When Dick returned to the Titans, he found there to be changes. The government interceded, placing Arsenal (the former Speedy) as leader of the team. Dick stepped aside and left the Titans, concentrating on problems in Gotham City. Still recovering from his broken back, Bruce asked Dick to substitute for him as Batman for a time; Dick accepted. During this time, Dick was able to confront Two-Face and lay some demons to rest. He also established a wonderful partnership with Tim. Bruce eventually returned to Gotham to reclaim his role as Batman. For the first time in a long time, Bruce and Dick began to heal their strained relationship. Bruce's respect for Dick was at last obvious. Infinite Crisis As of the current events surrounding the Infinite Crisis storyline, Nightwing has refused to join his recently resurrected friend Donna Troy as she journeys to New Cronus with several heroes. He has instead adopted a new villainous costume and persona in order to infiltrate Lex Luthor's Secret Society of Supervillains and seemingly attempt to trouble it from the inside. Under Deathstroke's employ, he trained Slade's daughter Rose, the newest Ravager. Deathstroke betrays Nightwing when Blüdhaven is destroyed by the Society. The Society drops the super-villain Chemo on the city, killing 100,000 people. Dick tries to rescue survivors, but is overcome by radiation poisoning, only to be rescued himself by Batman. Nightwing confides that he let Blockbuster die and asks Batman to forgive him. Batman tells him that his forgiveness doesn't matter; Dick has to move beyond Blockbuster's death. Inspired by his mentor, he proposes to Barbara Gordon, who tearfully accepts his proposal with a kiss. Batman then entrusts Nightwing to alert other heroes about the danger that the Crisis poses. Dick flies to Titans Tower, but the only hero who answers his call is Superboy (Conner Kent). Together, they locate and attack Alexander Luthor's tower, the center of the Crisis, only to be repelled by Superboy-Prime. Prime is ready to kill Nightwing when Conner intervenes, sacrificing himself to destroy the tower, ending the destruction of the Universe. Saved by the Justice Society, Nightwing recovers with Barbara at his side. As soon as he's able to walk again, Batman asks him to join him and Robin in retracing Bruce's original journey in becoming the Dark Knight. While Nightwing is hesitant, due to his engagement with Barbara, she encourages him to go and returns his engagement ring so he can make an honest decision for himself. Barbara feels that it is important he re-discover himself, and until he does, they're not yet ready to be married. They part on good terms, though before he departs, Dick leaves her an envelope containing a photograph of them as Robin and Batgirl, along with the engagement ring on a chain and a note promising he'll come back to her one day. Soon after his journey with Batman and Robin begins, Nightwing returns to Gotham, following Intergang's trail. He works with the new Batwoman and Renee Montoya to stop Intergang from destroying Gotham, shutting off dozens of fire spewing devices spread across the city. One Year Later One year later, Dick Grayson returned to New York City (his previous homebase with the Teen Titans) in order to find out who had been masquerading as Nightwing. The murderous impostor turned out to be the former Robin, Jason Todd. Grayson lead the Outsiders once again, operating undercover and globally. Nightwing followed an armored thief named Raptor, who he suspected was responsible for a series of murders. Later, Raptor himself was murdered in a manner similar to the other victims by an unseen contract killer, who proceeded to bury Grayson alive. Nightwing freed himself, but wondered about the relationship between his experience and a mysterious voice who told him that he was "supposed to be dead". Nightwing was having trouble finding things to keep him busy during the day due to the cast on his right arm. Incapacitated from his injuries, he tried without luck to find jobs and continued to research into the mysterious assassin. At one point, Dick agreed to attend a party for Bruce Wayne and their relationship seemed to flourish. Bruce praised Dick for his success on the Raptor case, and also mentioned to look into the Landman Building which hosted ex-Lexcorp scientists; most likely those who worked on the Raptor project. Dick had also continued to keep a close brotherly relationship with Tim Drake, and helped him deal with his many losses during the past year. After dealing with the Raptor issue, New York City was plagued by a villainous duo called Bride and Groom. Nightwing begins pursuit of these two after some grisly murders, including that of the Lorens family (close friends of his after the Raptor incident). Dick grew obsessed with finding them, not knowing how far he was willing to go to take them down. Eventually, he formed a makeshift team with some "villains" to find them. They located them, and after killing some of his "team", Nightwing chased them to a cave, where Bride began a cave-in and the two were trapped there. Some time later, Nightwing disassociated himself from the Outsiders, turning the responsibility of leadership over to his old mentor Batman. He then reunited with his alma mater the Titans after learning about a vicious attack wrought against Cyborg’s impromptu Titans East trainees.''Titans East Special'' #1 Along with Beast Boy, Cyborg, Donna Troy, Flash, Raven, Red Arrow and Starfire, Dick discovered that the perpetrator behind this attack was the spawn of one of the Titans' deadliest villains – Trigon.''Titans'' (Vol. 2) #1 Battle for the Cowl Gotham has gone to hell and Robin and Nightwing are trying their hardest to set it right, they have developed the Network, made up of their best allies to help. Robin and Squire tracked and was about to take down some robbers but before they could take them down some else does, Robin and Squire don't see the person but he leaves them a note saying " I AM BATMAN" but before anything can be said Nightwing call's Robin for back up with a gang, they take the gang down. Meanwhile a coach full of Gotham's most dangouras criminal's on their was to Arkham but the coach is stopped by a small army of goons lead by the Black Mask after the criminals are off the coach Arkham is blown up the Joker also they have caught on that Batman is no longer around, back in the Bat-cave Nightwing is looking at all of Batman's different suits when Tim walks in saying that one of them or Dick needs to become the new Batman but Nightwing shruggs this off so Tim tells Dick about a man running around in a custom made Batman suit fighting crime Jason Todd but this was no beginner he was experienced and knew what he was doing. Tim uses his brilliant detective skills to work out where the phony Batman's hidout is, but Tim decides not to confrount the fake Batman as Robin but as Batman, he uses the silver age Batman suit. Mean while Damian is joy riding in a Batmobile with a friend when Orcale calls him to do swoop of the docks, Damian's friend starts talking, Orcale takes control of the car and press's the eject button on Damian's friends seat and she goes flying into a small stream where Killer Croc and Poison Ivy are trying track the Batmobile, Croc eats the girl then knocks the car of the road into the stream, Damian is terrfied and trys to talk his way out of it, Croc was about to eat Damian but Nightwing flys in on a hand glider and saves Damian but while their flying they are shot out of the air, on the ground they are quickly surrounded by goon but suddenly the phony Batman comes in shooting the goons. Dick begins to fight the phony Batman, while their fighting Dick revels he knows the phony Batman is Jason Todd, Jason shoots Damian in the chest then flees the fight. Back at Black Masks hide out and is planning to blow up Gotham police headquaters with Firefly and Adam Bomb menawhile Tim in the Silver Age Batman suit has found Jason's Batcave but he is not alone, Catwoman has followed Tim thinking he was the one killing people. At the same time Dick discovers that Tim had taken the Bat suit. As Nightwing pursues the Black Mask while also attempting to prevent the authorities from destroying Gotham, Nightwing sends Damian to retrieve Drake unaware of Jason's attempted murder of Drake wearing the Batman costume. Damian saves Drake while Grayson confronts the murderous Todd in his makeshift Batman outfit. The battle between Grayson and Todd ends with Todd saying he will meet Grayson again when Grayson defeats Todd knocking him into the river. Fearing Todd will destroy the Batman identity Grayson reluctantly returns to wearing the Batman costume with Damian as his Robin rather than Drake. Recommended Reading * Robin: Year One * Batman: Year Three * Batman: The Long Halloween * Nightwing: Year One * New Teen Titans (Volume 1) * New Teen Titans (Volume 2) * Outsiders (Volume 3) * Nightwing (Volume 1) * Nightwing (Volume 2) | Powers = | Abilities = Master Detective: Grayson is a world class detective, second only to the likes of Batman. He was rigorously trained by the Dark Knight in everything from escapology to criminology, fencing, stealth, disguise, and numerous other combat/non-combat disciplines. Master Acrobat: Grayson is a prodigious natural athlete, possessing a peak human level of agility/acrobatic skills. He is generally regarded as the greatest human acrobat in the DC universe. Batman himself is an incredible athlete in agility, and is at peak human perfection, but even he gives the advantage in that area over to Nightwing. He is the only person on Earth who can do the quadruple somersault. Intimidation: He has been taught by the Batman, the ability to instill fear into others. While not as efficient as Batman in this category, he still uses this ability effectively. Master Martial Artist: He is a master of several martial arts disciplines. He has mastered Aikido, Yaw-Yan, Jeet Kune Do, Escrima, Tae Kwon Do, Ninjitsu, Muay Thai, Judo, Wing Chun, Hapkido, Jiu-jitsu, Karate, Savate, Kendo, Capoeira, Ninjitsu, and he is proficient in other various martial arts. Although he has not mastered near as many fighting styles as his mentor, what he has done is effectively combined the martial arts he knows into a unique style that suits his strengths. This makes him one of DCs top premier martial artists and one of the greatest crime-fighters ever. Weapons Master: Through his martial arts training with Batman, he has become an expert on almost all types of weaponry. He has mastered knife throwing, as well as melee weapons, having trained in and mastered Kobudo. Since his earliest days as Robin, he has been trained and become proficient with all firearms. He was soon taught and he learned expanded melee weapon techniques and he has learned expanded weapon/device sciences during his training. As a result of his training with the Batman, he still practices with firearms during his combat sessions to keep his skills intact, though he prefers unarmed combat. His most prefered weapon of choice is a pair of Escrima sticks which he has mastered, in incorporated into his own unique style of fighting. Master of Stealth: His training has made him a master at stealth capable of easily breaching high security facilities without being detected. He has been compared to the Batman, in terms of stealth and has been stated to be as good as the Batman in this field. He has even snuck up on the Batman himself. Expert Marksman: As a result of his training in Ninujitsu and with Batman, Nightwing almost never misses his targets, 9/10 times he's succesful. He has been practicing accuracy since the early days of his training as Robin and is on par with the Batman in terms of accuracy. Tracking: Nightwing has been trained in hunting and tracking techniques by Batman. He is a master tracker, comparable to the Batman. Master of Disguise: He is proficient in the art of disguise as having been taught by the Batman himself. Escapologist: The Batman has trained Nightwing in this ability since his earliest days, in turn making Nightwing, a master escape artist. Though not as good as the Batman, he is proficient enough, to be only second to the Batman in this category. Peak Human Conditioning: Dick Grayson possesses the peak athletic strength and endurance of a man who regularly engages in intensive physical exercise. His physical attributes exceed that of any Olympic level athlete that has ever competed. His strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, agility and coordination are at peak human perfection. *''Peak Human Strength: He is one of the strongest non-metas on Earth. Although he relies on his speed more than his strength, he has shown remarkble strength throughout his career. He has dented and nearly ripped throgh steel with a single kick, defeated KGBeast physically, mananged to knock down Blockbuster with a blow, punched the metahuman Barry Pierce through a concrete wall, and supported nearly 1000 lbs. of rubble when attempting to save people from a burning building. *Peak Human Reflexes: Nightwing's possesses reflexes that have enabled him to dodge point blank gunfire from multiple opponents at the same time. *Peak Human Speed: He has run at speeds greater than the finest competing athletes. He has been stated to be even faster than Batman. *Peak Human Endurance: Nightwing's endurance is greater than an Olympic Decathlon. He can exert himself at peak capacity for nearly an hour without rest before showing any signs of fatigue. His lung capacity is so great that he is capable of holding his breath underwater for 4 mins. *Peak Human Agility: He has honed his agility to top human physical perfection. He is as agile as one could be without being considered superhuman and has even been told that he has shown agility that should be beyond human capabilities. He is considered to be the most agile human being in the DC Universe. *Peak Human Durability: He has been thrown through entire walls, by Rolland Desmond, and immediately rose back up to finish the fight, survived an entire building collapsing, has fallen of the top of a building when his and has sustained other extreme forms of punishment, and has survived it all without any serious injury. 'Multi-lingual: Having had the finest education as Bruce Wayne's ward, he speaks with fluency in English, French, Chineses, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Swahili, Mandarin, Cantonese, and is possibly fluent in other languages. He has some knowledge of Romany and the alien language of Tamaran. '''Skilled Leader: He is also a brilliant and experienced strategist with superlative leadership skills, having served as leader to the Titans, the Outsiders, and even the Justice League. Additionally, Dick's efforts to remain in contact with other heroes makes him a master at rallying, unifying, and inspiring the superhero community, a skill in which he has surpassed his mentor.Infinite Crisis | Strength = Dick Grayson possesses the peak human strength of a man that has intense physical workouts at the height and weight of 5'10" 175 lbs. He is able to lift over double one's own body weight, and has previously lifted over 930 lbs. He has defeated the KGBeast, who is stronger than ten men, in physical combat and he even overpowered him. | Weaknesses = | Equipment = *'Nightwing Suit': Nightwing's current costume is made of a version of the Nomex fire-resistant, triple-weave Kevlar-lined material. It is an excellent protection against damage, and it's also electrically insulated. Instead of a black cape for stealthing, the suit is light sensitive, darkening when there is more light in the area The current costume is a stylized blue "wing" across his shoulders and extending to his hands, coloring his two middle fingers, over a black torso and legs. Nightwing's costume is tailored specifically to his unique style of crime-fighting. As such, his costume has fewer body-armor inlays than Batman's, anticipating a decreased need for shock-absorption and an increased capacity for motion. ("Move more, get hit less.") A caveat of this configuration can be exploited by capable fighters who are both fast and strong, such as Superman. Should Nightwing need to engage an enemy who is capable of exploiting this weakness, he has supplemental body-armor overlays which he can attach to his gauntlets, his mask, his shoulders, and boots. *'Nightwing Mask': The mask, in the form of his symbol, is fixed in place with spirit gum, and includes a built-in radio transmitter/receiver and Starlite night-vision lenses. His gauntlets and boots each contain eight compartments in which he can store items. They have a self-destruct feature built into them, similar to the ones in Batman's utility belt, and, as another security measure (especially when the hero is unconscious), the suit contains a one-use-only taser charge, which automatically emits a high-voltage electrical shock when someone attempts to tamper with either the boots or gauntlets. *'Nightwing Gauntlets': Each gauntlet's sections can contain a wide array of equipment, such as: :* sonic or smoke pellets, :* modified batarangs ("Wing-Dings"), :* knockout gas capsules and throwing tracers. :The right gauntlet is also equipped with a: :* 100,000-volt stun gun. *'Nightwing Boots': Like the gauntlets, his boots can carry vital elements like: :* flares, :* a rebreather as protection against any airborne noncontact toxins, :* a mini-computer equipped with fax, modem, GPS and a minidisk rewritable drive. Other items are lock picks, a first aid kit, a mini-cellphone, flexi-cuffs, antitoxin assortment, signal flares, wireless listening devices and a small halogen flashlight. Held in spring-loaded pouches in the back of his costume, Nightwing carries a pair of Escrima sticks made from an unbreakable polymer that are wielded as both offensive and defensive weapons. Some depictions have displayed these tools with the mechanism to shoot a grappling hook attached to a swing line, while, in other instances, he is seen using a "line gun" like the one Batman currently uses. | Transportation = Nightwing has a transformable car has a convertible chassis that can disguise it self as any similarly sized vehicle like a taxi cab or sports car. It houses a 3.7 McLaren racing engine, automatic transmission and all wheel drive, dual batteries and puncture resistant tires. The car is not only bulletproof, but also bullet absorbent in order to prevent stray ricochets from hitting innocent bystanders. Nightwing once used a customized boat; this boat presumably has the same specs as the Batboat if it was not the Batboat itself. Nightwing also has his own personalized model of the Batcycle, which he refers to as the "Wingcycle". The Wingcycle is equipped with a passenger sidecar. | Weapons = Batarangs, smaller shuriken-like "Wing Dings", regurgitant gas (tear gas with an additive to make you throw up) pellets smoke capsules. His right gauntlet contains a 100,000 volt stun gun, although his preferred weapons are two shatterproof polymer Escrima Sticks. | Notes = * The character of Richard John Grayson in the persona of Robin was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. * He was introduced in Detective Comics #38 (1940) by Batman creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane as (first) Robin. The sidekick debuted only a year after Batman and was part of an effort to soften the character of his mentor, originally a dubious, nightstalking vigilante. DC Comics also thought a teenaged superhero would appeal to young readers. * His Nightwing persona was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in Tales of the New Teen Titans #44 (July 1984). *Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, DC Comics portrayed Batman and Robin as a team, deeming them the Dynamic Duo, and rarely published a Batman story without Robin, although stories entirely devoted to Robin appeared in Star-Spangled Comics from 1947 through 1952. | Trivia = * Grayson took the name 'Nightwing' after being inspired by Kryptonian legends of "Nightwing and Flamebird" related to him by Superman. * Nightwing has had a one night stand with Huntress. * Nightwing has been supposedly raped by the Tarantula. * Nightwing has been engaged to his long time girlfriend Starfire, though their relationship eventually dissolved. * Nightwing has been engaged to his long time crush Barbara Gordon, the original Batgirl, though the engagement was called off for the time being. * Nightwing has had a one night stand with Cheyenne Freemont, the female Nightwing. * Dick's parents left him a trust fund that Bruce Wayne's business partner Lucius Fox later turned into a small fortune. Although it is not comparable with Bruce Wayne's wealth, it has been enough for maintaining his Nightwing equipment; for purchasing the rights to Haly's Circus, saving Dick's former home from financial troubles; and for secretly buying the apartment building at 1013 Parkthorne Avenue in Blüdhaven. This address was also the home of the retired hero Tarantula (Jonathan Law). * Dick appears in Batman: The Animated Series as both Robin and Nightwing. | DC = | Wikipedia = Dick Grayson | Links = * The Origin of Nightwing at DCComics.com * Yahoo! Groups: Bludhaven * Nightwing: A Knight in Bludhaven * Titans Tower: Dick Grayson's Blüdhaven Connections }} Category:Former Justice League of America members Category:Justice League Task Force members Category:Outsiders members Category:Teen Titans members Category:Sidekicks Category:Silver-Age Characters Category:Detectives Category:Police Officers Category:Acrobatics Category:Martial Arts Category:Aikido Category:Contortionism Category:Driving Category:Stealth Category:Criminology Category:Escapology Category:Escrima Category:Investigation Category:Jeet Kune Do Category:Leadership Category:Multilingualism Category:Surveillance Category:Diplomacy Category:Robin